Global LTE smartphone shipments will grow threefold to reach 275 million units in 2013, which would be a record year for 4G technology, according to Strategy Analytics.

Leading the charge will be such companies as Apple, Samsung, and LG, said Strategy Analytics Inc., a research and consulting firm headquartered in Newton.

“We forecast global LTE smartphone shipments to triple from 90.9 million units in 2012 to 275.0 million in 2013,” Neil Shah, Strategy Analytics senior analyst, said in a statement. “Major countries driving LTE growth next year will include the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, China, and South Korea. Multiple operators, such as Verizon Wireless, Everything Everywhere, and NTT Docomo, are aggressively expanding their LTE networks. Key vendors leading the push into LTE smartphones will include Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, HTC, Motorola, Blackberry, Huawei, ZTE, and Pantech. Popular LTE smartphone models will include Apple’s iPhone 5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S3.”